Louisiana joins states in suit to block federal health law

Feb. 27, 2018

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has joined with 19 other states in filing a federal lawsuit seeking to block the federal Affordable Care Act.

The multi-state lawsuit was filed Monday in Texas, arguing the federal law's individual mandate requiring people to buy health insurance is unconstitutional and the entire law should be deemed unenforceable.

The lawsuit is led by attorneys general in Texas and Wisconsin.

Landry, a Republican, called the mandate "unlawful" in a statement Tuesday. His position is at odds with Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, a supporter of the federal health overhaul.

Congress and President Donald Trump last year repealed the tax penalty on people who don't purchase health insurance, but that doesn't take effect until 2019. The individual mandate was left in place.